The Low Arc of the Sun (Self-released, 2016)

Ashleigh Flynn's trajectory as been mighty impressive so far. So whether one calls it an exceptional stopgap measure or an able introduction, either way Ashleigh Flynn's "The Low Arc of the Sun," demonstrates both her vibrance and versatility when it comes to exercising the vast arc of her musical sphere. Flynn's albums have always found her probing the wider depth of Americana, but here, in an seven-song set recorded live before an appreciative audience in 2014, she runs a musical gamut that takes her from the rowdy, rollicking traditional sounding country of "Don't Leave Me Lonesome" and the popular Buck Owens standard "Tiger By The Tail" to more reflective ballads of insight and circumspect, such as "Winter Song" and "Fallen."

Likewise, the songs that fall in-between, the traditional-sounding narrative "Barrow" and the daunting but defiant "Much Too Proud," find, that no matter what the tone or the topic, Flynn is well equipped to handle whatever notions need to be expressed. Despite its relative brevity and the fact that it covers familiar terrain, it stands with the best efforts of her career so far.

Credit has to also be shared with Flynn's able five-piece band - Kathryn Claire (fiddle, harmonies), David Gerow (electric mandolin), Don Henson (piano, typewriter, percussion), Allen Hunter (bass) and Joe Trump (drums) - all of whom are also well up to the task at hand. The musical mesh is practically flawless, and the audience responds in kind. It's the sort of synchronicity that elevates "The Low Arc of the Sun" and subsequently allows it to shine brightly indeed.